Tandoori Grilled Chicken with Mint Raita

Most of the time, I make things that don’t need much more prior planning than stopping by the market. I do have a few dishes, though, that are completely worth planning ahead. This time, I “planned ahead” by accident. I usually marinate my Tandoori Grilled Chicken for just a few hours but decided to put it together the night before. I was grilling Black & Bleu burgers (I can’t take credit for those, I get them at Primal in Stuyvesant Plaza), so I didn’t have much work for that meal. I figured I might as well get started on the next night’s dinner. I got the chicken into its marinade & popped it in the fridge for a nice 24-hour marinade. Only thing was, I hadn’t realized at the time that Trip (my Chief Taster) wasn’t going to be home for supper the next night. So instead, I saved it for the night after that. It ended up marinating for 48 hours, and it was superb! You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Marinade Ingredients:

¾ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp peeled, sliced fresh ginger (There’s way more in the pic above than you need.)

4 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground cumin

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighsRaita Ingredients:

1½ cups fat-free plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup chopped fresh spearmint

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp salt

1½ cups chopped, seeded cucumber

Directions:

1.) To prepare the marinade, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. It will be pretty thick. Pretty, too!

Pour into an 8″ x 8″ baking dish (or large zip-top bag if you’re willing to add to your landfill in order to have fewer dishes to wash).

Add the chicken, turn to coat. Pop in the fridge for at least a few hours; overnight or 2 nights is even better.

2.) Remove the chicken from the fridge, and let it stand at room temperature while your grill heats up. I’m always impatient here & don’t wait long enough, so it sticks to the grill. Half an hour would be better.

3.) The raita is best fresh, so I like to wait to prepare it until I remove the chicken from the fridge. It’s quick & simple: just combine the ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until the chicken is ready. It’s fine to make it in the morning, it will just not be as thick. Or you could combine everything but the cuke, chopping it & refrigerating it separately, & combine at dinnertime.

4.) Prepare the grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high heat and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of the grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.

5.) Lightly coat the grate with vegetable oil. Quickly remove the chicken from marinade, shaking off the excess, and place the chicken on the unheated part of the grill rack. Close lid, and grill for about 10 – 15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. The time will vary considerably depending on the size of your chicken & the idiosyncrasies of your grill, so keep a close eye on it. Discard the remaining marinade.

Directions

1.) To prepare the marinade, combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Pour into an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat. Pop in the fridge for at least a few hours; overnight or even 2 nights is even better.
2.) Remove the chicken from the fridge, and let it stand at room temperature for 15 – 30 minutes while your grill heats up.
3.) The raita is best fresh, so I like to wait to prepare it until I remove the chicken from the fridge. It’s quick & simple: just combine the ingredients in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until the chicken is ready. It’s fine to make it in the morning, it will just not be as thick. Or you could combine everything but the cuke, chopping it & refrigerating it separately, & combine at dinnertime.
4.) Prepare the grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high heat and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on either side of the grate, leaving an empty space in the middle.
5.) Lightly coat the grate with vegetable oil. Quickly remove the chicken from marinade, shaking off the excess, and place the chicken on the unheated part of the grill rack. Close lid, and grill for about 10 – 15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. The time will vary considerably depending on the size of your chicken & the idiosyncrasies of your grill, so keep a close eye on it. Discard the remaining marinade.
6.) Serve with the mint raita.